Eye test could prevent tragedy

A trip to the optician usually results in stronger glasses, or if you’re lucky, a date to return in 12 months for our next check-up.

However, it could pick up on a more serious underlying problem and possibly save your life.

That’s what happened when 13-year-old Becky Crossthwaite started complaining of headaches. Her mother, Kirsty, thought that she needed stronger glasses. But her optician diagnosed a brain tumour - despite having shown no symptoms in a previous examination just four months before.

“The doctors told us that if optometrist Kiran Lally hadn’t spotted the signs of the fluid when she did, then Becky would have died,” said Kirsty.

The Eye Care Trust charity estimates that one in five children have an undetected problem with their vision.

According to national screening guidelines, all schoolchildren aged four and five should be offered a vision test.

However, a report by the College of Optometrists found that fewer than a third of local authorities are providing them.